Hit-and-Run Suspect Fires Shot at K9 Team During Arrest in Springfield

A hit-and-run suspect was subdued and apprehended last night by a State Police K9 team after he fired a shot at the trooper and dog.

At approximately 12:15 am the State Police Barracks in Springfield received a report of a vehicle traveling at approximately 10 miles per hour on Route 91 southbound. The vehicle was wanted by Springfield Police for its involvement in a hit-and-run crash minutes earlier.

The vehicle exited the highway at Exit 4. The suspect abandoned the vehicle at Balise Chevrolet and walked toward Main Street at East Columbus Avenue.

An MSP K9 trooper and his dog located the suspect. The suspect refused to stop and surrender and the trooper deployed his dog. During the deployment the subject fired one round from a handgun, missing the trooper and the dog. The MSP dog engaged the subject and was able to successfully subdue him.

MOHAMED FOFANAH, 35, of Hartford, CT was placed under arrest and transported to Bay State Hospital for mininjuries suffered during the apprehension. He is charged with the following:

1. Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon (multiple counts)
2. Discharging a Firearm within 500 Feet of a Dwelling (in addition to various other firearms violations)
3. Leaving the Scene of a Property Damage Accident
4. Mistreatment/Interfering with a Police Dog

State troopers from Troop B, the Crime Scene Services Section, the Ballistics Unit, and the State Police Detective Unit for Hampden County responded to assist with the investigation. FOFANAH is expected to be arraigned in Springfield District Court on Monday.